To have and to hold
by whitemiracle
Summary: What if Petunia undertook to attend at Lily and James's wedding? What if she dared to fight Vernon so that she could be there on the most important day of her sister's life? This is a small little fanfic about Lily and James's wedding. I didn't want it to be sad, that's why Petunia's there, too. HP (c) JKR
1. Chapter 1

_"I take thee to be my lawful wedded Husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish and to obey, till death us do part; and thereto I give thee my troth."_

Someone pulled Lily's legs with all of their strength and directly proportional to this, she was slowly sliding off the bed. That was the point when she woke up. She blinked a few so that she could fully open her eyes.

"Come on, for god's sake!", moaned the harasser. "Lily! Jesus Christ, how much do you weigh?!"  
"One hundred and fourteen point five pounds", Lily grumbled at Petunia who stopped pulling her about and sat on the floor. "What the heck were you doing, by the way?"  
"I guess I just pulled you out of coma", Petunia stood up, smoothing the wrinkles out on her skirt. "It's half past nine; tell me, when did you want to wake up?"  
"WHAT?!", Lily yelled. She looked at the alarm clock which stopped at 1:15 a.m. "Does this really have to go wrong today?! Oh my god!" Lily sat up in the bed like an unkempt red haired jack-in-the-box. "Do you think it's an omen?"  
"What?", Petunia asked perplexed. "That the clock has gone wrong?"  
"Yes!", Lily spat at her. "Maybe I shouldn't…?"  
"Stop this right now!", Petunia yelled at her, walking up and down in the room. "That's what I've been listening to for a week now! 'Oh, I overturned my glass of water! Is this a sign?', 'I forgot to bring the flowers from the shop. It must be fate.', 'My braid's come apart! I'm sure the Lord wants to warn me with this!' Just calm down! There's no turning back from here!"  
"Well…", Lily started, but Petunia cut in, standing in front of the bed:  
"Don't say it! I said, NO!", she clapped her hands. "Now. Let's get it started. Try to get off the blanket and pull yourself together. I'll call Mrs. Potter to do your hair and make-up. I prepare you a sandwich."

And with that last word she closed the door after herself. Lily pulled the blanket off herself and floundered to her wardrobe. She took some clothes she could put on while preparing and took a shower. By the time she got back to her bedroom, there was a ham sandwich waiting for her on the dressing table, but she couldn't even look at it. She started to realize that in a few hours she was going to be the new Mrs. Potter.

'_Merlin's beard, someone help me!'_

She swallowed the lump in her throat and combed her hair. Mrs. Potter stepped in. Lily glanced at the torture devices in her hand frightened.  
"What's wrong?", Mrs. Potter asked astonished. "You look like you saw a ghost."  
"I just looked in the mirror", Lily replied on a toneless voice.  
"It's okay", Mrs. Potter smiled at her and poured a bit of Frizzling Potion on the top of her head.

After an hour of hairdressing and applying make-up, Lily stepped out of her room with her hair in an elegant half-bun and discreet make-up on her face. The kitchen and the dining room was a mess. There was food in every little space in the room. When all the women's squad noticed Lily, they became flabbergasted and congratulated her for being so beautiful ('_At least once in my life' _- she thought). Lily's mum burst into tears and left the site in panic.  
"Where's James?", Lily asked, pouting.  
She was scared. She wanted to cry just like her mother. But not in front of her sister or Mrs. Potter, but in James's arms. She wanted to ask him if they really wanted all of this.  
"They're setting up the tent", replied Mrs. Potter and pointed at the kitchen window.  
"I need to talk to him", Lily said and stepped to the backdoor, but Petunia caught her arm.  
"No way. You can't meet him until the ceremony."  
"What?", Lily moaned.  
"It's bad luck if he sees you before that", Mary explained.  
"That only goes for the dress", Lily rolled her eyes.  
"Then we make another rule!" Petunia said on a hard tone.  
Sirius rushed into the kitchen. He tucked up the sleeves of his white shirt.  
"The tent…", he gasped. "It's on fire! Help!"  
"WHAT?!", Lily shouted for the second time that day.  
"No-no!", Petunia spat at her. "Not you!"  
She started to push Lily towards her bedroom. Lily was flailing angrily.  
"Get off me, Tuney!", she yelled. "My wedding's at risk!"  
"Exactly", Petunia nodded. "That's why I can't let you burn on that bonfire!"  
"Then at least, let me watch it from the window", grumbled Lily.  
"Do you swear you won't go outside?", her sister asked cautiously.  
"I do."

So both of them went to the kitchen window with Mr. and Mrs. Evans. The rest of the guests being there were assisting outside. As it turned out the shorter side of the oblong tent caught fire. It could have been extinguished but it couldn't have been mended - the tent became opened from two sides. The fire was extinguished and Mrs. Potter drove her husband into the house. The others started putting the chairs under the canvas.


	2. Chapter 2

Mr. and Mrs. Potter stepped into the house, with a pungent smell of burnt hair.  
"What happened?", asked Mrs. Evans. She watched Mr. Potter's scorched eyebrows and shirt with a frown.  
"My wand popped off", Mr. Potter lifted up the magic device.  
"Is everyone all right?", Lily inquired, but it was obvious whose physical well-being she really cared about.  
"Everyone could get away from the fire, except for me", Mr. Potter smiled at her.  
The doorbell rang behind their backs and the Evans family winced at once. Mrs. Potter glanced at them understandingly and said: "I'll answer it."  
"C'mon, Lily, you have to put your dress on", Petunia said, unusually gently and took Lily's hand. Lily looked down at their hands and she became completely touched. It was so long ago that Petunia supported her so much, that she really felt the presence of her sister. Her eyes became watery, but she held the tears back, because she didn't want her make-up to smudge.

The dress Lily got from her mother was made of lace and satin with long sleeves and the bottom was slightly flowing. Lily saw Petunia stroking the lace a bit enviously or maybe sadly. It could be hard for her to let her sister wear the dress she wore when she got married to Vernon. But she sacrificed her pride and helped Lily to put on the dress. Lily looked into the mirror. Where was the Hogwarts girl who looked just like the other students in her black robes with her books under her arm? It was her day to be a real woman. Lily Evans was going to die in a few hours to Lily Potter to be able to born.

"Petunia?"  
"Yes?"  
Lily turned around and stepped closer to her blonde sister. She lifted up her arms and hugged Petunia tightly.  
"I love you", she whispered into Petunia's neck.  
Petunia stood petrified between Lily's arms. Seven years. Petunia last felt to truly be her sibling's older sister seven years ago. She hugged back.  
"I love you too."  
Mrs. Potter interrupted the touching moment.  
"I took the stain out of your veil", she smiled.  
She stepped behind Lily and pinned the tenuous white material into her hair.  
"Have you got everything, dear?", the woman asked kindly. Lily saw she can't hold her tears back for so long.  
"Yes, I think so", she replied.  
"Something old?", Mrs. Potter asked.  
"The dress."  
"Something new?"  
"My shoes."  
"Something borrowed?"  
"Errr…", Lily looked over herself and didn't find anything borrowed.  
Petunia glanced at her bracelet with light blue gems on it. She took it off and put it on Lily's wrist.  
"Something borrowed and something blue", she said.  
"Thanks", Lily smiled at her.  
Petunia nodded.

Two and a half hours of constant walking up and down and trying to furtively biting her nails, Lily stood behind the backdoor with her arm around her father's. She had goose bumps and held the bouquet of white roses convulsively. She glanced at her father who tried not to look at her so as not to burst into tears before even they get out of the house.

The music started outside and all four of Lily's limbs started to tremble wildly. The two swings of the door were opened by two of her little cousins. As Mr. Evans stepped on the grass, Lily lagged and her father had to pull herself a bit.  
The decoration was the most beautiful she has ever seen. In the huge garden, next to the tent, almost a hundred of little white chairs stood with a wide row in the middle of them. At the end of the row, vaulted trellis stood with the same kind of flowers Lily had in her bouquet on it.

Remus, Lily's best man stood on the right side of the trellis, waiting for the bride. He was just as charming as Sirius on the left side. Remus's scars seemed to have been disappeared, or maybe, only Lily could see everything to be as perfect as they had always been, but she was too blind to notice them before that day.

And just under the trellis, there stood James. His mother tried to rein his capricious black hair with some hair gel, but one single lock still sticked up on the top of his head. He put on his brand new black dress robes. He seemed impressed as he glanced at Lily. His mouth opened a bit and faint smile hovered over his lips. His hazel eyes were shining behind his glasses. Lily thought he was the most handsome man in the whole universe.


	3. Chapter 3

Before Lily could have noticed, she was standing in front of the small wizard who was sent from the Ministry to transact the ceremony. Lily didn't see him, though; she could only concentrate on her groom's kind, touched and loving face. They were talking without words, their eyes talked; they told how much they love each other. But then, James's lips started moving and his calming voice got not only to Lily's ears, but to her heart even if he was repeating what the wizard said. She knew the words spoken by thousands of wizards before them had meaning for James and her.

"I, James Potter, take thee, Lily Evans, to be my lawful wedded Wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part; and thereto I plight thee my troth."

Lily thought her voice would be trembling when she would answer, but it was crystal clear, strong and full of emotions:  
"I, Lily Evans, take thee, James Potter, to be my lawful wedded Husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish and to obey, till death us do part; and thereto I give thee my troth."

James held Lily's left hand with his right and turned around to take the rings from Sirius. But Sirius's face turned red and he was blinking at the floor. Lily didn't know what the problem was, but she saw Sirius pulled his wand out of the pocket of his robes.

"_Accio_ rings!", he whispered.  
Lily looked at James. He looked back at her calmingly, because he saw there was not much time for Lily to go haywire.  
"_Accio_ rings!", Sirius whispered again.  
Some of the guests started to squirm awkwardly.  
"Padfoot!", James said warningly.  
"I know!", Sirius mumbled back. "I know. Just give me a moment!"  
"We can't!", Lily hissed at him.  
Mrs. Evans stopped sobbing in the first row.  
"Do something!" Lily grumbled quietly. "I don't care what, but do something!"  
"Fine.", Sirius lifted up his head and nonverbally cast a spell.

Thick rope popped out of the top of his wand and entwined Lily and James's hands. The rope was tight and crusty. The guests groaned in surprise and so did the wizard under the trellis.  
"I…", the little wizard blinked surprised. "I now pronounce you husband and wife."

Lily didn't know if she should have cried or just punched Sirius in the face, but before she could have decided, James leant to her and kissed her lips. The kiss was warm, sweet and exciting. For those deep moments, Lily could completely forget about the rope.

Loud applause could be heard from between the rows of chairs. James - though of course he couldn't let it go - held Lily's hand tightly and they turned around a bit awkwardly. No matter how astonished they were due to Sirius's little action, happy smile widened on both of their faces. They became Mr. and Mrs. Potter. Not two different people but the two halves of a whole.

Lily and James walked trough the aisle between the chairs while the guests continued applauding. They stopped in front of the backdoor of the house and James unbound the rope but he still didn't let Lily's fingers go. The guests went to them one by one to congratulate them. The now senior Potters and the Evanses all cried on their shoulders and after that, they joined the rest of the people in the tent.

"Where's Sirius?", Lily asked crustily when the last of the guests hugged them and aimed at the bowl full of punch.  
"Why are you asking?", James inquired cautiously.  
"I want to strangle him", said Lily simply.  
"No need to do that", James smiled at her and kissed her on the forehead.  
"He lost our wedding rings, James!", Lily spat at him.  
"Not at all!", Sirius gasped behind them. "The box was stuck behind the wardrobe."  
The little box the newlyweds' rings hid in was in his hands. Sirius opened the box and took out Lily's ring. He gave it to James who pulled it on Lily's left ring finger apparently amused. Lily gave the innocent looking Sirius a grumpy glance. She took the thicker ring away from him and pulled it on James's finger.  
"I pronounce you husband and wife, too!", said Sirius grinning.  
"What did you…?!", Lily started, but Sirius left immediately and James placed his hand on her shoulder calmingly.


	4. Chapter 4

"What's wrong, Lily?", James asked while they started off to the tent. "You're so tense. Have you changed your mind?"

Lily halted and looked at her husband with disbelief. James stopped too.

"This question wasn't serious, right?", asked Lily quietly. "James, I… Of course I haven't changed my mind! One or two hours ago I was uncertain, naturally, and I wanted to find you to talk about if we really want this whole thing, but… Everyone's uncertain a bit before their wedding. So no - I have no intention of divorcing you or leaving you or whatever. Do you understand?

"Sweetheart." James stepped to her and snuggled her. If Lily wouldn't have had to cry before that, she might have been able to hold her tears back, but she started to cry as soon as James hugged her. She wouldn't have even cared if her make-up smudged or if it left a stain on James's dress robes. She had to wash his clothes from that day on, after all. "I'm sorry. I wouldn't have questioned your feelings if I knew about this. Calm down, I'm here. But tell me, why are you so fussed, then?"

"Because I wanted it to be perfect", she replied and wiped her tears off. "But that stupid tent was set on fire and then, Sirius forgot about the rings. We sealed our vows with a pair of ropes, James!"  
He burst into laughter.  
"So what?", he asked. "Are you sure you would remember that moment if we just pulled those rings up?"  
"Of course I would!", Lily spat at him. "What do you think I did this whole thing for? Just making it obvious that we're together? You've got a slightly sick idea about what weddings are for, dear."  
Lily smiled and James looked at her with feigned indignation.  
"We better get going before I tickle you until you faint!", he said and tickled Lily's neck.  
She laughed at him and slapped his hand gently.  
"You're a dork", she said. "But I love you."  
"I'd like to ruffle up your hair so much right now!", James sighed. "Don't get too excited, I won't. Because I love you too. And I love my life too much to spend the time remaining bound to a column in a dungeon by you."  
"Hey!", Lily yelled at her a bit offended. "I hope you know our marriage isn't entirely confirmed yet, we don't even have to divorce, we can just withdraw our vows!"  
"Do you hear yourself?" James grinned at her. "The best part of this whole ado is the honeymoon!"  
"James Potter, have anyone ever told you how pervert you are?", Lily shook her head.

They stepped under the canvas and young girls ran to Lily, shouting: "Throw the bouquet, Lily! We want to be beautiful brides like you!"

"Okay, okay", she smiled at them. She almost forgot about the ring-incident.

Lily stood on the podium where the band was going to play. She turned her back at the guests and shouted: "Are you ready?"  
"Yeah!", the answer came from the crowd of women and little girls.  
Lily swung her arms with the bouquet and threw it behind her back. Loud scream could be heard and after that, applause. She turned around.

Her little, five years old cousin, Annabelle caught the bouquet. The flowers were almost bigger than her but she smiled at Lily happily. Annabelle turned around and ran towards the table where cookies were put. She aimed at James's cousin's son, the also five years old William, who stood next to the table, his mouth full of vanilla cakes. Annabelle stopped in front of the little boy and pushed her lips against his. Laughing and babbling spread in the tent as William was blinking at Annabelle surprised.  
"You have to marry me", Annabelle stated.  
William shrugged, swallowed the cake and wiped his creamy fingers into his little, black dress robes.  
"Okay", he replied.  
Lily grinned and stepped off the podium. She sat next to James while they were having dinner, but they didn't talk too much to each other, the guests kept the ball rolling.

It was two hours after the dinner when Lily could finally get to James. The song playing was very enchanting and Lily didn't even notice James wasn't busy anymore. She was talking to Petunia; her sister told her how drunk their uncle was and how rude he was to their mum. Petunia swore she would pour the next glass of Firewhiskey on their uncle's head. And in that moment, someone grabbed Lily's waist from behind.

"Sorry, my dear sister-in-law", James leant forward to Petunia "but I just _need_ to abduct my wife."  
"Talk to you later!", Lily told Petunia before James pulled her to the dance floor and held her hand.  
"I thought we wouldn't even dance", said James. "Though, no wonder people can't get enough of you."  
"Merlin's beard, James! How much did you drink?", Lily asked chuckling.  
"Hey, it's not about drinking!", James spat at her playfully. "You doubt my opinion about you?!"  
"Of course not", Lily smiled at him.

James's kiss really did taste like alcoholic beverage, most likely mead, but Lily didn't mind it. As long as he didn't behave like her uncle, drinking was all right.


	5. Chapter 5

The party was over when the sun started rising. The whole tent was a mess, people were drunk and happy at the same time and slowly all of them left. Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Evans told Lily and James they would help them cleaning the garden after some hours of sleep and followed their husbands who were long in their bedrooms, fallen into deep, drunken dreams.

Lily felt really sleepy, her feet hurt from dancing and she was a bit tipsy, too.  
"I've never been so…", she yawned, "…tired in my life."  
"Well then, I can't let my better half to suffer", said James.  
"What do you…", Lily started, but she couldn't finish her sentence, because James took her up in his arms.

Lily held onto his neck, smiling at him as James stepped into the house and went to Lily's bedroom. James laid his wife on the bed and he took off his shoes. Lily did the same as James took off his dress robes and put them on the backrest of Lily's chair. James lay next to Lily. He tucked up the sleeves of his shirt and looked at her with a deep, satisfied sigh. They looked at each other for long minutes before Lily asked:  
"Are you happy?"  
"Are you not?", James asked back.  
"I asked first."  
"I thought you knew the answer."  
"I do", replied Lily and crept closer to James. She rested her head on James's chest and her fingers played with one of the buttons of his shirt. "It just feels good to hear it from you."  
"I am happy", he answered and started stroking Lily's dark red locks. "I am the happiest person in the world to have you."  
"Actually", said Lily, "there's someone who's just as happy as you are."  
"Who's that?", asked James smiling at her.  
"I thought you knew the answer."  
"I do."  
Lily leant to him and kissed his lips.

"Lily, do you remember how much you hated me?", James asked when they stopped.  
"Hated you?", Lily lifted up her head. "What are you talking about? I've never hated you."  
"Never?", James raised his eyebrows. "But you…"  
"I rejected you so many times because you were a jerk, isn't it obvious? I didn't like the kind of fun you had with Sirius. You badgered Severus without almost any reason. That's something that was very obnoxious for me, but I didn't hate you."  
"I'm sorry."  
"You better be."

They almost fell asleep when something crossed Lily's mind.  
"James?"  
"Mhm?"  
"Aren't you scared?"  
"Scared?", he echoed with a hoarse voice.  
"Yes.", Lily took a deep breath. "Scared of what might happen in the future. I mean, you know, there are some really dark wizards and even the Order isn't enough to stop them."  
"Oh my, Lily", James sighed. "Don't be so negative. Nothing's going to happen. You shouldn't think of things like this about nine hours after our wedding."  
"I know, but still… I'm worried."  
"Listen to me very carefully, sweetheart." James pulled Lily closer to him and held her tightly. "I won't let anyone ruin our life, okay? Even Dumbledore is convinced that we can overcome this obstacle. There's no dark force that could defeat us. We're going to have a beautiful house in a quiet village where we can bring up our children in peace. They will go to Hogwarts and we'll grow old together. And when we're going to have grandchildren, they will be whining about how boring we are, sitting next to each other in front of the fireplace, arguing about the importance of Quidditch in wizards' life. I hope you're ready for this."  
Lily laughed and stroke James's cheek. She could feel the short and soft stubble on his face.  
"I'm ready", she said and put her head back onto James's chest.

Two minutes later they fell asleep in each other's arms happily, dreaming of the future they would have together.

**THE END**


End file.
